2022 Model S Plaid: Is it normal for my air suspension to look like this?

[WilliamG]

So my car is getting a Rear Right replacement air strut due to clunking noises over 7-25mph dips/uneven roads, and I'm wondering if what I noticed looking under the car is relevant? This is the problem strut (probably the strut, anyway... Tesla won't really know till they replace it), and there this... scraping? At the top. The rear left looks clean. Anyone know what's going on here, and if it's related to my clunking. This is suspension in Very High.

Rear right:

Rear left:

 

[beatle]

Looks like the top of the bellows has taken road debris and ground it into the upper shock body. Can you move it up and down with your hand? Can you move the bellows on the one without the scrapes?

If the shock is blown and you take the wheel off, you may be able to see fluid leaking from the top. Though it's not the same generation, my 2019 I bought in Dec 2022 was delivered with a blown rear left shock that clunked and felt terrible. This was at the top:

 

[WilliamG]

Looks like the top of the bellows has taken road debris and ground it into the upper shock body. Can you move it up and down with your hand? Can you move the bellows on the one without the scrapes?

If the shock is blown and you take the wheel off, you may be able to see fluid leaking from the top. Though it's not the same generation, my 2019 I bought in Dec 2022 was delivered with a blown rear left shock that clunked and felt terrible. This was at the top:

Thanks for the reply. OK, so I can push down/up the top of each of the boots on each rear wheel a little, and the driver's side rear also has some scrapes below the top of the boot if I push it down a little. I don't see any fluid leaking at the top or anything. Not sure if I've discovered anything meaningful or not, but that both shocks seem to have some scraping means it's perhaps normal?

 

[beatle]

Perhaps the scraping is normal. Clunking could also be a loose fastener or a failed bushing.

 

[WilliamG]

Perhaps the scraping is normal. Clunking could also be a loose fastener or a failed bushing.

Yep. Could be. Guess I’ll find out when the strut is replaced…

 

[WilliamG]

And to update: Strut was replaced, and while being replaced, it was discovered that the "AFT UPPER LINK" bushing was torn, so that was replaced. In all likelihood the strut was never a problem in the first place, but they replaced it anyway per the original diagnosis. Clunking is gone, either way. Interestingly, the first strut they received was leaking (while the car was still in service), so they had to replace the strut a second time. Anyway, 99% sure the clunking was the torn bushing on that rear upper link. Seems a bit bizarre that the link bushing bit the big one in 8k miles, but there you go...